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Interview | Death of Paris

Death of Paris is going to be performing on the Shiragirl stage at Warped Tour in Scranton, PA on July 9th. What was that process like to be chosen out of so many artists?
Jayna: We were on tour in Austin playing SXSW for the first time this year and we were approached by Conquer Entertainment after one of our sets. They said they enjoyed us and we remained in contact with them over the next several months. Out of the blue they told us they had teamed up with Shiragirl this year and invited us to play the stage! It was totally out of nowhere, and we are so pumped because Warped Tour has been a long time dream for us. I guess it goes to show you, you never know who you might be playing for!

What are you looking forward to most about that particular performance?
Jayna: Just actually being on the Warped Tour stage in general! This is something we’ve worked towards for a really long time, and we don’t let victories like this go unappreciated at all – we’re going to give all we’ve got during our set for any and everyone who sees us. Also, performing on the all-girl/girl-fronted Shiragirl Stage is probably the best way we could have ever hoped to make our first mark on Warped. Shiragirl has made such an impact in the Warped world and for other female artists – the whole story of how her stage came to be, how she stood up to Kevin Lyman and crashed the tour, is so inspiring for female artists and myself. We’re looking forward to the adrenaline rush that goes along with just being in the Warped atmosphere.

For those individuals who aren’t going to be at the Scranton show, where can they catch Death of Paris next?
Jayna: We’ll be doing some regional dates around our hometown in SC:
July 14 – Charlotte, NC -Visulite Theatre w/ Junior Prom
July 18 – Columbia, SC – Art Bar
After that we will be filming 6 music videos, one per song off our new EP “GOSSIP.” And gearing up for a NE run of dates. It’s been a minute since we’ve played the Northeast, and we’ve always had an amazing time when we’ve played NYC and Baltimore. Stay tuned to deathofparis.com and our Facebook page for upcoming tour announcements!

Which artists have been influential to you growing up?
Jayna: I grew up listening to No Doubt, Mariah Carey, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Savage Garden and TONS of 90s dance music like La Bouche, Snap!, Amber, etc. The whole 90s pop/alt rock/dance sound has always been very prominent for me, there’s even a noticeable nod towards it in the current records that I listen to today.

Do you think their sound is reflected in your music at all?
Jayna: Definitely. The 90s dance music is the most noticeable I think. We try to hide darker themes in more pop melodies, I like the game in doing that. We also try to write music that actually has a little substance; music that says something, that brings you back to a certain moment in your life or makes you want to create even better moments – but all hidden in a driving pop song that makes you want to dance.

Your fans helped to fund Gossip, which you recorded with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. What do you think they added to your music that wasn’t there in the past?
Jayna: Day One of pre-production we sat down with Zack and Kenneth and talked about what Death of Paris really sounds like.. what does a Death of Paris song sound like? And because of that we decided to make this record more synth heavy and all the guitars a bit more grittier. Zack and Kenneth are AMAZING. They are the nicest guys we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with because they truly cared about making our EP the best version of ourselves. They pushed us to really hone in our sound and solidify a sonic identity for the band that I think was lacking before. We are so proud of the EP that we did with them, it is exactly the kind of record we had dreamed of making.

You have a video out for “Shut Up & Kiss Me.” A lot of artists have people send them treatments for their videos. How did that work for you guys?
Jayna: We are actually getting ready to shoot the official video for “Shut Up & Kiss Me” once we get back from Warped tour! The current video is just a lyric video that we filmed ourselves one day in an empty news soundstage. We wanted fans to learn the lyrics before our EP Release show so we just set up a tripod and filmed with our light show in the background. We wanted the video to also serve as an EP Release show trailer, so viewers could see what it looks like at a DOP show. We are very excited to film 6 consecutive videos for all the songs on the EP – there will be a hidden message in each video that ties all the videos together in the end! We will be working with Shae Winston of Winston Visions again who shot our video for “Narcoleptic” that you can also see on our youtube page: youtube.com/deathofparis

There are a lot of musicians out there who are going through the same type of “crossroads” that you did–having a college degree and being expected to take on full time jobs after. What advice can you offer them?
Jayna: Do what makes you happy. Go after what it is in life that makes you happy. This sound so cheesy and cliche but trust me, it’s true. Any day of the week I would rather be struggling and doing what I love than sitting on a full bank account and daydreaming out an office window. It’s just not worth it because our lives are just too damn short. But it all depends on if people at that crossroads are willing to take the risk and go after what they’re passionate about, and if they do they have to give it their all and live, sleep, and breathe it in order to make it happen. So my advice is as simple as asking yourself, is being happy worth the risk?

Anything else that you would like to share with the music community?
Jayna: We’re just so pumped and thankful for everything that’s come our way this year and we can’t wait to tour more of the country and to meet new people, and new bands, and make new fans that we can bring along on this journey with us. We hope to see you out at a Death of Paris show real soon!